Five things to know about Big Ten championship game

• If Michigan State wins%2C the team is automatically sent to the Rose Bowl
• The Spartans%27 defense is No .1 in yards allowed%2C rushing yards allowed and opponents%27 passer rating
• Ohio State beat Michigan State last season 17-16

INDIANAPOLIS — Five things to know about the Big Ten football championship between No. 2 Ohio State (12-0) and No. 10 Michigan State (11-1) at 8:17 p.m. Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium:

What's at stake

For the Buckeyes, victory would almost certainly secure a berth in the Bowl Championship Series title game, probably against No. 1 Florida State (a four-touchdown favorite over Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference).

For all the protestations that the Southeastern Conference champion would deserve to be in the BCS title game ahead of Ohio State, the Buckeyes are second in the computer rankings. No. 3 Auburn and No. 5 Missouri play for the SEC title. That league that has produced the past seven national championships.

Unless voters elevate Auburn or Missouri over Ohio State in the polls, it's win-and-in for the Buckeyes, whose 24-game winning streak is a school record.

Over the past 15 years, no one-loss team has finished ahead of an undefeated team from a major conference in final BCS standings.

Oddly, Michigan State could be headed for the Rose Bowl, win or lose. A win automatically sends the Spartans there. A loss makes it likely that the Rose Bowl would choose Michigan State to preserve the traditional Big Ten/Pac-12 pairing, as long as the Spartans remain in the top 14.

This is Michigan State's biggest national stage since Nov. 19, 1966, when the Spartans were No. 2 and tied top-ranked Notre Dame 10-10. Michigan State hasn't played in the Rose Bowl since Jan. 1, 1988.

'College GameDay'

Underscoring the national implications of the game is ESPN's decision to produce its popular "College GameDay" show in Indianapolis from 9 a.m. to noon.

The show features a crowd of fans behind the set, many holding up homemade signs. The show culminates with ever-popular Lee Corso, the 78-year-old former Indiana coach, announcing his prediction by pulling on the mask of either the Ohio State or Michigan State mascot.

ESPN had not released details Monday, other than to announce the show will be staged at Pan Am Plaza.

OSU offense vs. MSU defense

This is the obvious on-the-field storyline. That doesn't make it any less valid.

As Ohio State coach Urban Meyer put it, the Buckeyes are not in the conversation for a national championship "unless we can figure out how to move the ball against the No. 1 defense in America."

Michigan State's defense is No. 1 in yards allowed (237.7), rushing yards allowed (64.8) and opponents' passer rating (91.8).

In five of the final six games, the Spartans didn't allow a touchdown, something almost unheard of in an era ruled by offense.

Coach Mark Dantonio said the Spartans "tweak" their defense from year to year, but staff, continuity and players' experience have made a formidable combination. With the press coverage they employ, there is risk, Dantonio conceded.

"You have to have good players at every position," he said.

The Spartans do.

Foremost among them is cornerback Darqueze Dennard, one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back.

Another is safety Isaiah Lewis, a senior from Ben Davis High School. He was ejected for targeting in the Nov. 23 game against Northwestern but played in last week's 14-3 victory over Minnesota, assisting on six tackles. Lewis' mindset "is just to let it go," Dantonio said.

However, Michigan State hasn't encountered an offense comparable to Ohio State's. The Buckeyes broke Penn State's 19-year-old conference record by averaging 530.5 yards, and their 48.2-point average is highest in the Big Ten in 97 years.

Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller accounted for 29 touchdowns despite missing two games.

"He can take a bad play and make it a good one," Dantonio said. "Those are the things that make it so difficult to defend him."

Buckeyes tailback Carlos Hyde led the conference with a 143-yard average, becoming Meyer's first 1,000-yard rusher.

"He's playing as good as any tailback I've ever watched," Meyer said.

MSU offense vs. OSU defense

The Buckeyes have been vulnerable, allowing 30 or more points in four games, including last week's 42-41 victory at Michigan. Meyer said "we were exposed" but added he was confident that shortcomings would be fixed.

Ohio State's Ryan Shazier is one of five finalists for the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.

Perhaps more than the Spartans defense, the offense has allowed them to transform a 7-6 team last season into one that achieved an unbeaten Big Ten season. The progress of quarterback Connor Cook was "unrivaled by anyone I've ever seen," said teammate Max Bullough, a linebacker.

Michigan State was 10th in the Big Ten in scoring with a 20-point average a year ago. The Spartans increased that to 29.4, despite conservative game plans built around their strength on defense. Cook, whose father, Chris, played for Carmel High School and Indiana, had a 17-to-4 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions.

"He's got a big arm, quick release," Dantonio said. "He's made good decisions."

Dantonio called Jeremy Langford "a great story" because of how far the Spartans running back had to climb to become a 1,200-yard rusher. Langford was formerly a defensive back, wide receiver and special teams player.

Friction between coaches

Watch the postgame handshake for anything unusual. Although they denied it this week, there has been friction between Meyer and Dantonio.

Soon after Meyer arrived at Ohio State, he persuaded defensive end Se'Von Pittman, Canton, Ohio, to renege on a verbal commitment to Michigan State and sign with the Buckeyes. Dantonio referred to "unethical tactics" on signing day, although he later sent a news release explaining that he meant that generally and not specifically toward Ohio State.

Before Ohio State and Michigan State played last season — a 17-16 win by the Buckeyes — Spartans defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi complained that game film sent by Ohio State was missing pre-snap motions.

The matter was taken to the Big Ten, and the Spartans received complete film two days before the game, according to a Michigan State spokesman. Meyer said he could not remember "exactly what happened" but that any missing footage was unintentional.

David Woods also writes for the Indianapolis Star.